Corroded "Brass" Valve

[anwalt]

   

     

attached are photos of a 3 year old valve sold by as Brass.

This valve was the cold water inlet to my 3 year old hot water heater.  I was aware of streaks of dried salt on the outside of the 3/4 pex inlet for some time, but never saw, nor could I fee water on the outside.  Friday drops were forming.  Wishing to stop the water flow, I began to turn off the valve, what you see came off the pex into my hand.  Other valves quickly shut off the free flow of water.  

The water heater was in the basement.  No surrounding damage occurred.  

The valve is mildly attracted to a magnet.  The genuine brass valve that replaced it is not attracted to a magnet.  

The valve is made in China and sold by a big box store.  I would like to say which one, but I cannot be certain as I trade at blue, green, and orange.  No, I am not afraid of their lawyers!

The dried salt streaks below the valve resulted from the corrosion reaching beyond the pex crimp ring.  

The water in the pex is softened city water, the city does not remove Calcium.

If you installed a "brass" valve from a big box in a location where a failure could cause damage, you may wish to check the valve with a magnet for mild attraction, look for salt streaks, and if yes to one or both, take appropriate action.

   

   

  

Tom

[Stwood_]

Thats pretty bad. Must have been a brass *coated* valve, with not much coating.
Deceptive advertising.

[Snipe Hunter]

Just thinking out loud here... The pex creates a dielectric brake so you loose your ground. A copper supply and discharge on a water heater should have a ground strap between them or your water heater becomes a sacrificial anode. I'm thinking that's what happened here. I'll betcha a buck that valve is solid brass.

[Snipe Hunter]

I still don't understand how it's required to install a ground strap between supply and discharge on a water heater but pex is acceptable. Can't ground pex.

[Stwood_]

I've never seen any application of brass eaten up like that.
Brass impellers have been in salt water about forever.

Hmmm

[anwalt]

Thats pretty bad. Must have been a brass *coated* valve, with not much coating.
Deceptive advertising.

Thanks for your dollar Stwood.    I noted the valve was attracted to a magnet.  The magnet would not attach but is surely attracted.  It may be that the importer, the big box, did not know it included iron, but no importer should accept a part from the least expensive world supplier without inspection, nor sell it as "brass" when it is not.  

My sympathies to those who install this valve in the first or second floor where it can do real damage upon failure.  

tom

[daddo]

I remember back in the 70's when we connected ice makers in refrigerators for Monkey Wards. We used 1/4" copper and of course the brass compression fittings. There was no ground for the plastic valve it connected to on the fridge.
I noticed some copper being eaten up on the inside with green corrosion. After a few years I made an uneducated observation and guess, that it was some type of electrical flow in the copper because, if I remember, it was prominent on homes that had no ground wire at the 120v outlet.
So I started grounding the fridge with a wire to a pipe to see.
I didn't work there long afterwards to find out if I was right.

Calcium and salt are good electrolytic solutions in water.

Perhaps if you have SS connectors and a brass valve, you have a problem also?

[hbmcc]

The magnet would not attach but is surely attracted.  It may be that the importer, the big box, did not know it included iron, but no importer should accept a part from the least expensive world supplier without inspection, nor sell it as "brass" when it is not.  

Corporations have no ethics. From Wally ignoring merchandise complaints to Boxers grabbing the cheapest illegal materials, your money and as often as they can suck it from you is their business model. 

You might seek Canadian manufacture at local owned businesses. I got two metal flashings, one from HD (unmarked but Asian source) and one from a builder supplier. Both indicated 28 ga.. The Canadian made was far tougher and stronger.

[EightFingers]

Was that a Nibco valve? Does it say anything on the handle?
Was the magnet attracted to the valve with handle and bolt removed?

[anwalt]

Was that a Nibco valve? Does it say anything on the handle?h
Was the magnet attracted to the valve with handle and bolt removed?

The handle says "American Valve".  

You are on to something with the removal of the handle and nut.  With both removed, the valve is still attracted to a magnet.  However, the attraction is only to the body of the valve, which still contains the presumably stainless ball.  There is no attraction to the remains of the 'pipe' portion.  

As the hydrated salt dries, there are spots of iron rust ton the inside of the pipe and outside of the valve body.   

I am not a metallurgist.  Wikipedia says iron is alloyed in some brasses.  

The result remains a puzzlement to me.